


Always changing

by onlythesassiest



Category: Danny Sexbang - Fandom, Game Grumps, gamers - Fandom, markiplier - Fandom, youtube - Fandom
Genre: AU, Fluid!Mark, Genderfluid, M/M, Nonbinary Character, Rating May Change, Slow Love, gratuitous masturbation
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-18
Updated: 2015-08-30
Packaged: 2018-04-04 22:16:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 7,792
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4155003
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/onlythesassiest/pseuds/onlythesassiest
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mark has kept their gender problems secret his entire life.  They kept it to themself, mainly because they didn't know how to tell others and how they would react if they did.  Then one day, they accidentally opened a skype call while fully dressed how they love to.  Things just might be completely different from now on.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

"I am the prettiest princess" Mark smiled into the camera, blushing at how they could act feminine, since they felt that way that day; despite being on the internet and sometimes people on the internet were so cruel.  
"See you in the next video! Buhbyeeee" They held out the last note; smiling their biggest smile. They stopped the recording, taking a deep breath. it was time to get dressed in clothes they actually wanted to wear. They went to their closet, looking for that one particular outfit he wanted that would make them comfortable in their own skin for the day.  
"no, no, no, no, maybe if I don't find something better. No, DEFINITELY NOT, no, yes. perfect." They pulled the pink tank top, and black knee length circle skirt out of the closet, and a navy blazer. They pulled their white water bra on and then their tank top, then the skirt, then the blazer. They looked at themself in their full-length mirror. Gave themself a once-over, yep. This was the outfit-of-the-day. They pulled the tan pumps off the back of his closet and pulled them on, gaining a good three inches. They pulled his small makeup collection out of his bedside table, Sitting down in front of his mirror. They swiped a light shimmery pink eye shadow across their lid, then brushed through their hair. They swiped a nude lipstick on, and grabbed a clutch which they always kept on hand every day, with all of his stuff in it, and head out the door. They wanted a coffee, and would never be noticed if they went out like this.  
"One mocha frappucino, please." They asked in their sweetest, softest, highest keyed voice.  
"What is the name, sweetie?" The barista grinned at them. They thought about it for just a moment before answering.  
"Marceline." They said it slowly, tasting each syllable on their tongue, seeing how it felt. They gave a shy smile having used the name for the first time that day, liking how it felt on their lips. They could feel the blush running up their cheeks. Marceline took their drink and went to go sit with their phone and scroll down their twitter feed, looking at how all of their friends seemed to be having a blast at that exact moment in time. They finished their drink and left the shop, waving to the barista on the way out. They headed home. They sat daintily on their chair, scrolling down their tumblr dash. Not too much is new. Nothing changes in their life. A Skype notification pops up.  
"Hey, you there?" It was Danny.  
"Uh,yeah, what's up?"  
"I'm gonna call you one sec." but before Marceline could protest the incoming call symbol showed up on their screen. To pickup or not? Why not?  
"Uh hi..." Marceline said, blushing, their face down glancing up at Dan's face through their long eyelashes.  
"Hey Mar- What's wrong?" Danny asked, cutting himself off; noticing that something was obviously wrong since they obviously wouldn't look at him.  
"You aren't gonna comment on what I'm wearing or anything? I normally get a chance to get fully costumed before skyping anyone." They said, embarrassed that Dan had caught them like this, in this intimate situation.  
"Why would I? Maybe someone else, but I literally dance in spandex to songs about sex on the internet. Why would I care if you are wearing a pink shirt and navy blazer?" Danny asked, confused.  
"It's not just that. I am fully dressed." They stood up, showing off the skirt, Danny's mouth opening into a perfect 'O' "And I don't just do it for videos, I have never done it in front of someone I know before." Their voice cracked at the last syllable  
"I see. There is nothing shameful in that. You look beautiful in skirts. Now, now, don't be upset."  
"I-I just... wish I knew if I was a guy or girl. That's a big reason I haven't told anyone. There are just some days I am not a guy,some days I am not a girl, and most days I am not either." Marceline said, letting down their huge defenses for just a minute.  
"Ok. That is fine. I just care about you. Are you alright. Do you need me to come over?" Danny asked, pure concern in his eyes, hoping that they weren't in any danger to themself.  
"It would be nice if you came over. talking in person is always nicer than over skype." Marceline said, giving a slight smile, blinking lightly into the webcam.  
"I'll be there in like 20, ok?" Danny said, giving a reassuring smile, then hanging up to head over. Marceline went and reapplied their lipstick, then check their face in the mirror. No smudges, nothing out of place. Still looking good. They run their hands through their hair to set it all into place, then goes to make a cup of tea. Maybe they will make one for Danny too? He always overestimates the amount of time it takes him to get there. It will only be five minutes. They heat up the water. They put lemon ginger tea in one, and chai in one. The water finished boiling and they poured it, just as they placed the kettle back down, he heard danny's knock rap-rap-rapraprap-rap. Marceline walks to the door, holds their breath then pulls it open.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marceline and Danny have a chat over a cup of tea, basically.

They opened the door, first thing they see is is Danny's hair. Despite the heels, they still weren't Danny's height. They glanced up and looked into his face, Danny's eyes sparking with interest at the new information coming to his sights.  
"Come in, I made tea." Marceline stated in a slightly higher voice than their normal voice. They stepped behind the reinforced door, pulling it open wide. Danny stepped in, looking around slightly having been there before, but new information made it seem like a new space to him. He waited for Marceline to close then lock the door then they walked to the kitchen together; Marceline could feel Danny's eyes on their back as they walked.  
"That is a really sharp outfit. How did you learn to dress like that? Like, you never dress that sharp in normal life from what I have seen, at least." Danny said, gesturing at how well-put together Marceline looked.  
"Well, I just guess I was feeling particularly businessy-femme today?" Marceline wrinkled their eyebrows at the words, unfamiliar on their tongue."I just wanted to look nice. Sometimes I wanna look nice, sometimes I wanna dress in short skirts and low-cut tops, and sometimes I want dresses they wear at the Oscars, and sometimes I want to wear jeans and a tee-shirt and roll around in the mud with the guys, you know?"  
"I guess, you are pretty good at explaining it, and you look so androgynous that it fits. You have this unisex-kind-of look to you, that just makes you able to pull it off, I guess." Danny said, a nagging thought in the back of his head, unable to place it. Potentially that Marceline was able to pull it off too well.  
"So what did you want to talk about before this whole fiasco?" Marceline asked, getting up, pulling the honey out of the cabinet showing it to him, Danny nodding before speaking.  
"I was gonna ask if you wanted to come guest star on guest grumps with Arin and me in a few days, we were gonna play Splatoon." Danny said, taking his lemon ginger tea from Marceline, Marceline sitting next to him.  
"Uh, I should be able to yeah. I mean, I would obviously need to sit down with both of you and get this shit straightened out first so nothing weird happens." They gestured to themself then, making a weird face, making Dan chuckle.  
"So was there anything in particular you want in particular you want me to change as to how I reference you, pronouns, name, anything?"Danny asked, cocking his head to the side, looking like he just wanted to make his friend comfortable.  
"Well, today I am liking the name Marceline, as I do most feminine days, and I generally just go by he/him or they/them pronouns." Marceline stated kindly, a small smile breaking across their face.  
"Okie doke, Marceline." Danny grinned his big goofy smile, and Marceline really liked the way it sounded coming out of his mouth.  
"Are both of you gonna be down at the space tomorrow? I can stop by. I will have a chat with Arin, just in case I am feeling feminine."  
"Yeah I can make sure we are both there." Danny said.  
"Thanks bro." Marceline giggled. They hung around for a little while chatting about games that had been announced recently, and if they were excited for them. Life was going back to normal quickly, and Marceline was happy about it.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Danny heads home, tired. The next day Mark visits the office. The jitters commence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am exploring Danny's sexuality in these next couple chapters, hope you don't care too much. He Is demi, so this is all new for him ~~~ (also just a little note I am not personally demi, so if there is anything up with how I write it, feel free to message me with concerns)

Danny leaves with a grin on his face, laughing from the end of the conversation he had with Mark- no- Marceline. He heads back to his home, walking into the living room. Looking around, thinking about the day. One distinct memory stood out in his mind. When Marceline had opened that door and stood there, their strong, muscular legs in the skirt, blazer shining slightly. He blinked at the thoughts that came to his mind, knitting his eye brows then shaking his head to clear it, then walked slowly to the kitchen. Barry was sitting there, munching on a small plate of salad while browsing some unknown website on his phone. He looked up, then back down at his phone. Danny went to the refrigerator, grabbed a drink, then walked to his room, grabbed a change of clothes. He took a quick shower, then he realized how tired he was, it was pretty late in the day, after all. He drifted off to sleep.  
Mark woke up the next morning, laying on their side, blinking their eyes, trying to think. They pulled their phone off their bedside table, glancing at the time, it was 7:30. They yawned and stretched, arching their back into the bed, squeaking into their yawn. They ran their fingers through their hair; mussing it up. He would go by male pronouns today, he thinks.  
"Mark, he looks handsome today." he tested out, trying to see how he wanted to be referred to. He didn't like the handsome, pretty sounded better. It sounded nicer.  
"Mark, you look awfully pretty today." he said out loud to himself, smiling to himself, thinking that sounded right. He stood up, flexing his feet on the little rug next to his bed. He walked over to the bathroom, and showered. He got out, wrapped a towel around his waist and walked into his bedroom to choose an outfit for the day, he wasn't sure how he was going to express himself that day. He had an idea, what with the adjectives that sounded right coming out of his mouth, but he didn't know about the exact outfit. He went to his dresser, pulling out a pair of tight, plain blue skinny jeans. He went to his closet and looked around, trying to see what seemed right for the day. Did he just want to toss on a tee shirt and be done with it? Would a loose fitting blouse suffice? But then he saw it, one he had hid in the back, mainly because he hardly ever wore it, but it was for days just like today, and he pulled it out, it was a loose fitting, long-sleeve linen top, pale floral print; cream lace around the neck, sleeves and bottom of it. He slides it easily on over his head, pulling it loosely over his broad shoulders and wide arms. He looks into the mirror, glancing at himself, looking up and down, seeing the outfit almost in its entirety, liking how it looked, nodded then tossed on a pair of black converse. He went to go make his morning smoothie. He grabbed his phone as he tossed the kale, strawberries, bananas, and protein powder into the blender. He looked through his phone as it blended. 30,000 twitter notifications, 2,000 tumblr messages, 14,000 emails. He sighs. He will sit at the computer and read some of them later. He turned off the blender, pulled out his big cup, poured the smoothie, then drank it. Sighing at the taste, he liked the fruit overtones but the slight bitter undertone was dissatisfying.  
Danny woke up at about 11, to a buzz from his phone, reminding him to head over to the grump space and to check that Arin was there. He threw on a tee shirt, a pair of jeans, a jacket, and rustled his fluffy hair just a bit hoping to tame it a bit. He grabbed his keys and phone off the side table, then tossed them into his pocket. He walked into the kitchen, poured himself some of what he was pretty sure was Barry's cereal, and ate it. As he was taking his last bite, his phone buzzed in his pocket. He dug it out, it was Arin.  
"Hey, did you talk to Mark yet?" He chuckled at his phone, thinking about how Arin was going to think he was waking him up and it would take him an hour to respond.  
"Yeserino. Are you gonna be in today?" He sent it, hoping the spelling was all correct.  
"Whoa not so fast, you might sprain your thumbs big guy. Yes I am cumming in." Arin replied. Danny looked at his phone one eyebrow lifted, wondering if Arin meant to spell "coming" like that.  
"FUCK CUMMING"  
"WHO CHANGED MY AUTOCORRECT"  
"C O M I N G Haha beat you." Danny was cracking up at this point because someone had obviously messed with his phone to make it so that it would autocorrect the word "coming" to "cumming" since he mostly uses siri and would never notice.  
"OK Arin, chillax man." Danny replied, knowing it would just rile him up more.  
"NO!! I BET IT WAS FUCKING ROSS. I AM GONNA GO YELL AT HIM" Arin yelled in all caps at danny.  
"Seems to me like you are yelling at me, not Ross." Danny replied, grinning to himself. He moved tabs to text someone else, who he didn't know what to call for the day but for now he would think of him as Mark until told otherwise.  
"Hey, Arin is already at the office, and I am heading in soon. Meet there in like, 20?" He texted. He walked through the apartment to check if Barry was still home to see if he should lock up. He knocked on his door, opened it, made bed, no Barry. He must be at the office already. His phone buzzed in his pocket.  
"Ok. See you then. Mark, he, feminine adjectives today. :)" Dan nodded as he read the text, trying to figure out in his head exactly how to refer to him today. Mark looks beautiful today, doesn't he? He thought. That sounded good in his mind, but also kind of strange and dirty at the same time; talking in the third person like that. He shook those unfamiliar thoughts out of his mind, that is stuff he never thought about.  
Mark finished typing out his response, then sent it out, and grabbed his stuff to head out. He made sure his keys, phone and wallet were all in his clutch and headed out the door. He headed out and went to the car, taking a deep breath. He can do it. He drove over to the grumpspace, seeing Danny's car in the parking lot. Hopefully Danny told Arin that he was coming. He took a deep breath and left the car, walking in, clutching his purse with a death grip, terrified of the outcome of the day. He went up the stairs and walked in, everyone in the office except Kevin. No one even glanced up from their work. He walked over to the couch where Danny was sitting, a laptop with him. He sat down gently next to him, looking over his arms, trying to see what he was doing.  
"You look like such a fucking hipster." Dan laughed and commented slightly softly as he glanced over at Mark.  
"I was the original hipster" Mark said in the stereotypical Seattle hipster voice, grinning.  
"Arin's in the recording room. Want me to meet up with you guys in there in a minute?" Danny glanced over at mark, a small smile on his lips.  
"Uh, yeah I'll head in there." Mark suddenly felt himself getting nervous again. Danny could tell, apparently his face was easier to read than he thought.  
"You could sit here with me until I'm done then we could go in there together?" He tilted his head forward slightly, hair falling in his hair.  
"Ok." Mark watched him work for a minute until he finished his mixing or whatever, then he put his laptop off to the side, then stood up. Mark stood up with him. They walked into the recording room where Arin was playing some game that Mark couldn't place off the top of his head. Mark closed the door behind them softly.  
"Hey there buddy." Mark said, hoping that would make Arin stop and talk to him.  
"One sec. I can't pause here. " He got to a place he could then did.  
"Mark- I didn't know you were coming today!" He turned around, Mark held his breath. "Come and grab a controller!" Mark let his breath go slowly, confused slightly but feeling completely accepted in that moment,without saying a word.  
"Actually- Arin I was here to talk to you." Mark cleared his throat, it feeling blocked slightly. "I needed to set some stuff straight before we record."  
"Shoot, bro I am all ears, I mean not literally but you know what I'm saying." He chuckled slightly at his own joke, just a slight puff of air from his nose like a snort but lighter. Danny groaned beside Mark, sensing the pun miles and miles away.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And finally Mark talks to Arin~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all of the feedback everyone has been giving me! I am trying to keep the pronouns as steady as possible from now on! :)

Danny kinda glanced around, looking at his friends. Waiting for someone to start saying something; whether it be Mark or Arin. He moved slowly around to go sit on the couch next to Arin, off to the left, motioning for Mark to follow him. He moved to sit closer to Arin, rather than all the way across the couch so there was room across the couch. Mark sat, laying his arm onto the right side of the couch. Danny gave him a reassuring smile, he felt this unfamiliar tugging and tightening in his chest. It felt slightly uncomfortable but not in a bad way, as he would think it would. He looked away for a moment, taking a deep breath, centering himself.   
"So, I am here to talk about things I would rather not have come up when I am on the show." Mark stated, carefully contemplating each word as it came out of his mouth.  
" 'Kay, and you had to come in person because you obviously weren't comfortable just talking about it on skype?" Arin said, tilting his head, obviously denoting that he was asking a question, requesting an answer; rather than just stating it.  
"Well, I would rather it if you didn't refer to me with pronouns." Danny held his breath waiting to see how Arin would react, seeing The look on Mark's face, knowing he was trying to look strong, despite being nervous beyond words. Danny didn't know why he knew this, but it was almost like he felt it in his soul. It was like something had happened and he could almost read Mark's mind.   
"Is that it? I mean, you'll be here so that won't really be much of a problem." Arin kinda chuckled lightly, grinning at the first part, the whole point of the statement going right over his head, Danny made an exasperated look at Mark from behind Arin's back. Mark's laugh tinkled through the room, making Danny's chest sore with it. This time he wasn't sure if he liked the pain. it throbbed with each note of Mark's laugh. His smile faltered for a moment, but no one else noticed.  
"Well, also no commentary on what I wear, or anything like that. If I show up with Starbucks no basic white girl comments?" He laughed at the last part, seeing the annoyed and bored look on Arin's face.  
"The only kind of comment I would make on your clothes would be if you had toothpaste on them. You know me. I will support you whatevs, Markimoo." Dan could just sense the little grin on Arin's face, mainly due to the name calling. Mark was blushing at his nickname, and Dan memorized the color, thinking of the last time he saw something so aesthetically pleasing, but then he realized it went deeper than that. He shook his head, getting back to the moment, he didn't want to think about that.  
"I don't know how I am gonna be dressed tomorrow. I don't know what kind of adjectives I am going to want, either." Mark sighed, getting distressed, Dan peeked his face over Arin's shoulder, looking at mark with a softness in his eyes to comfort him. Mark relaxes, taking a deep breath. "I am genderfluid. My identity and expression of my gender change on a daily -or sometimes even more often- basis. I tend toward masculine with feminine touches, like today my adjectives and shirt are feminine but everything else just feels right as masculine. It takes a little bit of testing around in my mind each morning to figure everything out." Mark took a deep breath, picking at the lace on the bottom of his shirt.  
"Ok. I am glad you told me. How long have you known?" Arin stated, no emotion in his voice.  
"Well, I have known for a long time, since just after high school, but haven't actually started, like, actually expressing myself how I really want to until pretty recently. I wasn't comfortable enough with myself to." Mark looked up, eyebrows knit together, trying to read Arin, but there was no way he could. Danny knew this attitude. Nothing is slipping through the cracks. No happiness, no pain, no anger. Nothing was getting through his armor right now.  
"Well, I am happy and proud for you that you can finally be yourself, and don't worry about me. I am probably the one you should worry about the least. " Arin's voice got slightly softer, alerting them to a change in his demeanor. He had a very soft smile on his face, showing that he was accepting of what was being offered to him. Mark could live with that.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YAY! new chapter! This is almost entirely from Danny's perspective. The Teen rating really comes in now. (also I know some of the stuff is going against irl canon. that's the whole point of an AU)

    Mark stayed at the space for a little while longer, watching Arin play the game he had been when Mark came in. It was some NES game he was testing out for grumps. He then left to head home and finish up his videos for the day. He had finished most of what he needed to for the day early yesterday, all he had to do was put final touches for editing. He sat at his computer, cracked various joints, and got to work editing, walking around while waiting for it to export. He looked through his emails, bored. He uploaded and got to work on the next couple day's videos. When he was finally finished recording it was an acceptable time to go to bed. He showered, then hopped into bed, sleeping restlessly.

~Danny's POV swap~

   Danny sighed. He hated writing about stuff he had never experienced. He had never been in love, he had never had sex despite what his music said. He just liked to make alternate personas, he always has, pretending he was a different person when he was a kid was his favorite activity. He thought of the feeling from earlier wondering if maybe he could write a song about that. It hurt like someone was stabbing him in the chest but he liked it. He had felt a pulling at the bottom of his stomach. He could think about it more now that he was home. It didn't feel as _weird_ to think about it now that he was alone. He felt like thinking about it in front of people was... shameful? but why? There can't be anything wrong with feeling what your body wants you to feel. He thought about what had caused the feeling, Mark's eyes. Mark's fear. Mark's silly grin. Danny could feel himself blushing at the thoughts. Just thinking of Mark was making him blush; this is so silly of him. Danny decided to go to the knower of all; Barry! He could help. Danny got up out of bed, tip-toed over to Barry's room, knocking on the door.

"Yah, what's up Dan-o" Barry said, casually browsing the internet on his phone. Dan peeked his head in.

"Can I talk to you for a minute Bare?" Danny asked, pulling out Barry's nick-name last minute to try and grab some favor points.

"Sure come, sit. I am the master of knowledge." Barry laughed, joking at the inside joke they had going in the office.

"So, like, have you ever felt-like-something-is-stabbing-you-but-you-kinda-like-it?" Dan started jabbering, trying to get it all out, tears pricking at his eyes because the new feeling was upsetting him.

"Whoa, slow down there, I only caught half of that. Have I ever felt what?" Barry asked, getting concerned now that Danny was breathing so quick. He took a deep breath to center himself then begun speaking again.

"Felt like you had a metaphorical sword through your heart but you really kinda like it? and that someone else put it there?" Danny looked up from his lap, peering at Barry through his thick hair.

"You've never felt that before?" Barry looked sceptic at this point. "Who put the sword in your heart Danny boy?"

"Why would I have felt this before it sucks!" Danny practically yelled at this point. The tears threatened to spill over onto his face. Barry grinned.

"It isn't funny Barry stop smiling!"

"Oh my gosh. You- You've never had a crush before." Barry almost laughed, but the look on Dan's face when he said that made him stop. "Oh my god- who is it?" At this Danny stopped all movement, staring at Barry's beard. Then the tears spilled over and the sobs took over Dan's body. He didn't want this. He didn't want to have a crush. Especially not on his friend. Not on Mark. Barry reached forward, grabbing Dan's shoulders.

"Danny, no matter who it is you can tell me you know that. What's wrong?" Barry was honestly concerned for his friend at this point. He had never seen someone react this badly to having a crush, but Danny was 35 and it was his first one, that was a bit strange to Barry but, it happens.

"M-M-Mark." Dan managed to sob out the one word and Barry knew the kid was all but fucked. He had fallen for Mark. Barry pulled Dan close, giving him a hug.

"You will be alright. It's just a crush, sometimes they go away with time. Just wait it out." Barry calmly stated into his hair, stroking it trying to calm him down. When Dan's breathing stopped shaking Barry let go, rubbing his back a little, looking to his face to see how he was looking.

"I don't know how it happened. One day we were just friends the next he shoved a dagger through my heart and made my stomach all tight." The last part of the sentence made Barry blush at the connotations. He had known Dan was on the Ace/Aro spectrum; I mean they discussed it when they moved in together. Barry didn't know he had never actually felt arousal, though. Barry rubbed his beard and coughed at his thoughts then nodded. Gonna let him figure _that_ one out by himself.

"If you ever need someone to gush to, I'm here I guess" Barry rolled his eyes and held out the last note.

"His eyes are almost too brown. It isn't fair, you know? Ever thought about that? He laughs like everyone finds what he finds funny hilarious too. He is overwhelming." Dan pulled in a shaky breath thinking about it. "He is so generous, going out of his way for everyone who he cares about. His mouth is huge when he laughs too." Dan got stuck thinking about Mark's mouth for a second, before that feeling in his stomach was back, the shameful one. He blushed. Barry was just sitting there letting Danny talk, when Dan started to talk about Mark's mouth he knew it would be a bad time for him. Dan was blushing. Gibberish excuses tumbled out of his mouth, he needed to think about his feeling by himself. Barry ends up embarrassed for him.

"Please, go, You obviously have somewhere to go." Barry stated. Face-palming as Dan stood up, walking away, and could hear him sprint down the hallway.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> RATING CHANGE~ MOVING ON UP  
> Dan settles the feeling in his stomach, Mark works out then heads over to the grump space.  
> 100% filler chapter. Sorry it is kinda short, and gratuitous masturbation scene.

Danny got back to his room flustered, mind reeling. Thoughts of what Mark's mouth would be capable of doing spun to his vision as he closed and locked the

door behind himself. He laid down on the bed, pulling of his jeans and tee shirt, planting himself square in the middle of the bed. He looked down at himself, half-mast

just from his thoughts. He grabbed his lotion out from his bedside table, placing it on the bed next to him. He pulled his boxers down, letting himself spring out of it

slightly. He pumped a little lotion on his hand, warming it up slightly. He grasped his cock and hair to turn him on a bit. He pumped his hand, hardening himself. He

pulled his hair slightly as he felt himself getting hotter and closer. He bit his lips hard so he didn't moan out load while thoughts of Mark circled in his mind. He

pumped quicker, more desperate now. He could feel his stomach tightening up, in an almost familiar manner. He thumbed over his slit before he came in spurts all over

his chest and hand. He walked over to his connected bathroom. He ran some water over his hands, and grabbed a cloth to wipe his chest off with. He thought to

himself, "Tomorrow is going to be weird."

 

Mark woke up, smiling to himself because he knew this feeling well, it was his usual go-to day. He has masculine today, and he could just tell. He stretched,

pulling his phone up to his face, squinting until his eyes adjusted to the brightness from the screen. He shorthanded to Danny, because he was sure it was

decipherable. "M 2day. he/his." He stood up, walking over to his closet, pulling out a pair of shorts and an old University of Cincinatti tee shirt he had lying around

for the gym. He went and brushed his teeth, made his hair somewhat manageable then he went to the kitchen, grabbed a bottle of water out of the fridge, and left

to go to the gym. He started off with free-weights, moved his way to the treadmill then the bikes, back to weights. He checked his watch and noticed what time it

was and headed back out to his car. He got back home and took a much needed shower. He grabbed his starbomb teeshirt off it's hanger and jeans out of his

dresser. He grabbed his clutch, pulling the essentials out, dumping them into his pockets. He grabbed his phone and put that in his back pocket. He shook out his hair,

willing it to dry because he didn't want to put any effort into it today. He made some eggs for himself then walked out the door, time to face the day. He walked out

to his car, turning up some song he had heard a million times before, and singing along. He made it to the grump space with plenty of time to spare, running to the

small coffee shop across the street, and bringing a latte with him over to the offices. He hummed to himself as he walked in, walking to the elevator, pressing the

button then stepping in. He rode the elevator up to the proper floor, stepping out just outside of the joint office. He looked through the glass doors, Danny was

answering emails. Grinning to himself, Mark made his way over to the couch and sat next to him. He almost visibly stiffened before relaxing, remembering that Mark

can't read his mind. He gave a watered-down smile over to Mark.  
"What time are we going in to record at?" Mark asked, an inquisitive look pulling at at his eyebrows and lips.  
"Uh, pretty soon, whenever Arin rounds up his thing he is doing." Danny answered, face still pointed at the email he has probably read thirty times now.

Mark could tell something was off today for him. Mark pat his head before getting up and wondering around the office. He watched Suzy do some stuff for a little

while, watched Ross sketch for even longer, because that was hypnotizing, watching a character come to life on screen. Finally then Arin looked up from what he was

doing and called out.  
"Five Minutes!" Mark glanced up, walking slowly over toward the recording room. He didn't know if it would turn out to be great episodes with how Dan was today,

maybe he could turn it on when the mic is in front of him, but he seemed to be in a strange mood, not reciprocating attention Mark was clearly giving him. Mark sat

down in the middle of the couch, figuring that was the safest seat. All he had to do now was wait.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An ultimatum is made.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I AM SO SORRY IT TOOK SO LONG. I HAD MAJOR WRITERS BLOCK AND SOME CRAZY stuff going on with my head. (also if you don't know what the sync song is, watch Barry's editing tutorial.) (also sorry it is kinda short in comparison to previous chapters!)

Conversation was flowing as it usually did, the occasional lull for an awkward silence while someone just ran around on the screen; no end in mind. It was about ten when they finally finished filming all of the splatoon episodes. He stood up to yawn, careful not to step on any wires. He stretched, Danny noticing the small strip of skin peeking out of the bottom of his shirt. Mark moved around the couch, quietly saying his goodbye as Arin set up their next game to record. He didn't know why he felt his heart lurch when he moved to leave, but it did and he hated that feeling. He almost felt sick.

"Dude, you are really off tonight, are you alright?" Arin asked, still looking at the game shelf, knowing Dan was still staring at the wall. He shook himself out of it.

"Yeah, yeah I'm good just really tired. didn't sleep well last night." He lied, knowing full well why he was off.

"Yeah, sure. When you are ready to tell me why you are really being weird then let me know, or I will find out some other way, and try to fix it for you." Arin threatened, a grin almost crossing his face. He pulled a game off the shelf and walked back to the couch, slipping it into the console.

"Dude, don't worry about it.  I can figure it out myself."  Dan said before Arin turned on the recording for some random Wii game someone sent them, it was probably terrible so it will distract him.

"Sure, whatever man.  If you don't get this figured out in three days I am figuring it out for you." Arin stated just as he turned on the recording, starting the sync song.  They started to play the game, making jokes, Dan could still feel his personality getting stiff.  After about another three episodes Arin decided he had had enough of Danny's attitude for the night.

"That is plenty.  Go home.  Figure your shit out, bro."  Arin said, raising his eyebrows and frowning. 

"Fine.  I will try, but dude this isn't gonna be figured out in three days."  Danny replied, knowing full well that he was going to have trouble talking to Mark, and even figuring himself out.

"Then at least _talk to me,_ man!  Let me help you."  Arin looked Danny in the eyes, showing full well that he meant what he said, because he just wanted his friend back.  

"Let me think it over tonight and I will write you a paragraph text tonight because last time I said it out loud I cried."  Danny admitted, pulling a brave face.

"Do I need to be worried?  Are you sick?" Arin looked upset now, eyebrows furrowing and starting to pout.

"No, no nothing like that I am just questioning everything I ever thought about myself and it's screwing me up."  Dan shook his head vigorously, taking it in his hands when he started getting dizzy, pulling his hair back, scratching his scalp.  

"Ok, well think it over and let me know man, cause like, I can't deal with this adult angst shit.  I thought I escaped that."  Arin smirked at Dan, a chuckle escaping his lips.

"Well, I'll be seeing you, then.  I will text you later." Dan stood up, cracked his back and walked out to his car,thinking the whole way down.  HE got into the car, popping in a CD that he listens to so he can think then drove off towards his home.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dan needs help editing his ext to Arin, and Arin has an idea. this chapter is pretty much PG

Dan walked back to his car, siting in the seat, taking a deep breath, putting his head against the wheel before starting it.  He turned his radio off, and made his way home, formulating sentences in his mind;  trying to figure out how exactly he was going to tell Arin what was going on when he was still not one-hundred percent certain despite Barry's help.Thinking of Barry had given him an idea for how to make sure his text was perfect. He arrived at home, laying down on his bed as soon as he got inside, pulling his phone out of his pocket.  It was time to type.

"You're an editor, right?"  Dan asked Barry, after knocking on the door to his room; trying to strike a smile onto his face before going in and asking a request of him.  

"Well, last time I checked I was, at least."  Barry responded, one side of his mouth moving up into a smirk.

"Could you read this for me and tell me if I need to edit it at all before sending it?"  Dan handed him his phone, laying it on his bed next to him, moving to sit cross-legged on the edge.

"I dunno, can I?"  Barry raised his eyebrows and picked up the phone gently.  He mumbled the words of the text to himself as he read.  He knew most of the information already, since he was Dan's confidant.  He finished the text, re-reading for spelling and grammar and punctuation, occasionally adding a period and capitalizing the next letter.  There was one sentence that caught his attention in particular, where Dan went above and beyond to avoid using pronouns for Mark.  

"You could change this sentence and make it much less complex, saying 'he' and 'him' instead of mark all the time, however other than that it's pretty much perfect."  Barry stated, trying to weasel the reasoning for the lack of pronouns out of Dan, knowing it was unlikely for him to spill it without a little pushing.

"Ok, thanks bare.  I will take that into consideration, and send this out promptly."  Dan took the phone, sliding off the bed and walking back to his room re-reading the text one last time before sending it out to Arin.

~Arin~

His phone buzzed in his pocket while he sat at his desk.  He pulled it out, knowing it was Dan's story.

Danny:) : "So, my whole life I have thought I was asexual, having never actually been attracted to someone else, like I could get aroused, but never actually felt attracted to one particular person.  Then, Mark came along and turned all of that on its head.  I felt actual attraction to someone for the first time in my life, despite being like, 90 years old or whatever.  Then Mark showed me a secret that Mark has kept most of Mark's life, and it turned everything into hyper-drive.  I can't stop thinking about Mark, and Barry says I have a crush, and I don't know what to do and I feel like a high schooler."

Arin stared at his phone in disbelief.  How could Dan sing in a band that wrote the great majority of their songs about sex, while he was probably in the asexual scale?  Arin knew Brian wrote most of their music, but he didn't realize how much.  Dan has a huge high school-esque crush on Mark. Arin can make this work.  He can teach Dan how to woo Mark.  This will be easy, he had an idea it might be a bit corny for Dan's taste but it will work on Mark.

"I have an idea.  Come in in the morning and I will explain it."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would like to apologize in advance for the next chapter, as it will be corny AS HELL. (also, see if you can spot Barry's worry-sentence!) (also sorry it's short again, the next few will be cause I am trying to do bursts of action.)


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> At the grump space the next morning, Arin explains his plan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry I am so late again! I have no excuse, just haven't been writing. >.

Dan opens his door, taking a deep breath, knowing the day would be different than pretty much any other he had experienced.  Arin was going to help him woo Mark, but Dan wasn't even sure that Mark even thought of him as a friend, why would he agree to going out with him?  They just trusted him with information that they hadn't trusted anyone else with. How would Dan convince Mark that he was attracted to the person, not the secret?   He walked into the office, walking into the big joint room that they all shared, looking around for Arin.  Dan saw him sitting at his desk, working on something, Dan walked up behind him, placing his chin onto the top of his head, watching him work.  Arin let out a little chuckle.

"I was waiting for you, so I thought I might as well get some shit done, you know?"  He grinned, quickly spinning around, making Dan trip, falling on his butt in an attempt to not fall into Arin's lap.  Arin stretched his hand out to help Dan up as he stood up, smiling.  Dan followed Arin into the recording room, before remembering why they were there and what they were doing, his fight-or-flight going off in his mind, adrenaline forcing his heart to race.  He didn't know if he was ready to try and get Mark, but Arin was making the choices at this point.

"Ok, dude, first I am gonna have to have you give me your phone so I can check that I have the correct number for Mark. "  Dan pulled his phone out of his pocket and handed it to Arin.  Arin scrolled through his phone, making noncommittal noises under his breath every once in a while before handing it back.

"Now I am gonna check the date with Mark, but I think you both have this Friday off.  You will show up here, like, at least somewhat presentable.  Seven thirty.  That will make you get here before them.  I am telling them eight."  Arin put particular strength on the word somewhat, as if to imply that Dan's outfits weren't cool as hell, and Dan was not putting up with that.

"I look presentable 25/8 man."  Arin raised his eyebrows, looking right at the huge hole in Dan's jeans.  Then the hole in his shirt, then the string hanging from his jacket.  Arin gave the sassiest smile he could muster.

"Sure, Jan." Arin closed his eyes for a moment, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Button up shirt and slacks at the very least, please."

"Ugh, fine.  Care explaining what is happening so I at least have an idea and can warn Mark?" Dan asked, hoping he would get a little more warning as to what he was getting himself into.

"Only if you promise not to tell Mark, because then he might not come."  Arin stated, face as serious as ever.

"Why would I? You know what, I don't want to know why you question me, just tell me."  Dan shook his head, running his hands through his hair.

"Pinky promise" Arin made a silly face and stuck out his pinky.  Dan rolled his eyes and crossed his own with Arin's.

"Ok, I have already cleared this with everyone else involved, except Mark, so don't worry.  I checked. You will show up here at seven thirty, and everything will pretty much be set up for you.The office will have a nice big spot cleared out in the middle,and a table off to the side.  We will have dinner made for you.  Barry will be serving you until all the food is served, and then will promptly skedaddle on outta there."  Arin took a deep breath. " There will be some music playing, soft, like violin music for you two.  I am still up in the air as to what to get for you two because so many foods affect how your breath smells so no Italian, no Chinese, no Mexican, maybe just good old steak and mashed potatoes?  Like, that is as cutesy and cheesy and romantic as you can get, right?" Arin finished his ramble, looking at the dumbfounded look on Dan's face.  How long had he been planning this?  It could not have just been overnight, surely.  There are way too many details.

"Dude, did you see this in a movie or something?  Like, I told you last night.  How did you already get Barry in on it?"  Dan felt overwhelmed with the thoughtfulness his friends were going through to try and get him together with Mark.

"Dude, Barry has been up for helping me since you told him the first time.  Like, I texted him last night and he responded almost immediately because he can't deal with you looking like a lost puppy."  A soft smile broke across Arin's face, showing how much he actually cares for Dan's well-being.  "You are normally so driven, and motivated.  this has flipped you upside down, and everyone can tell, man.  You drive all of us with how driven you are.  I figured if you get what you want, maybe you will get back into a flow."  Dan could feel tears prick at the edge of his eyes at how his friend was trying to take care of everyone around him.  He moved forward, spreading his arms out, trying to show Arin that he wanted a hug.  Arin moved in, crushing Dan in his arms in the best way possible.  He felt normal again.  Maybe this will work.


End file.
